Female only taxis

I was talking to my niece today on the phone, she is in a different area with her own daughter who is 12 now. She was telling me there is a taxi firm that is women only, in both drivers and passengers they will carry. She said she feels safer with a woman driver at night and I completely understand, although some men are trying to get them closed down on sexism grounds. I understand its not the first company operating this way but hasn't reached my area, or even a firm that will send a female driver on request. Well I know men don't like it, but many women DO feel safer with women in a cab all on their own, and to an extent it protects men from accusations as well. Do women think its a good idea?

And if men are all sad about it they are welcome to offer a men only cab service, where there are only male drivers so, much like almost all cab firms anywhere and they will only take male passengers. Except of course that men are more likely to be attacked by other men, especially drunk men, so this might backfire mightily.

It is, of course, a very great idea, and the men who complain, well, as PalmerViolet says, they can have their own cab service. (I think they are sexist assholes who want women to be uncomfortable and in danger all the time, but hey, if they feel better if they can their exclusively male cab service, that's okay!)

The problem with the men only would be if the area was of a male dominated employment. Especially in areas of culture where they believe women should not be out anyway it would be a perfect way to enforce this. It is clearer to fight the battle that a significant number of men are a danger to women.

It is clearer to fight the battle that a significant number of men are a danger to women.

I am not so sure. Men know that they are a danger to women. The men who oppose the women only taxis want to continue being a danger to women.There is, from my point of view, no need to repeat this point as the reason why there need to be women-only things but not men-only things. Men already know that.

It is better to allow them their men only taxi service so they cannot oppose the women's taxi service anymore than to risk that women have no safe option to get home.

What do you mean by The problem with the men only would be if the area was of a male dominated employment.?

If something is male dominated from the get go, then implementing something exclusively for women will enable more women to do that job as they won't be harrassed.

Men going on to found their own "men only" thing won't matter, because in fact, the thing was men only beforehand, too, it just wasn't official.

It would be a bit more of a problem for things you study at university, but if there was a women-only university for physics or engineering and stuff, I think many women would prefer it to others. One or two other universities declaring that they'll go men only won't affect them much. (And many male students wouldn't want to go to a men-only university as they wouldn't meet women there ...)

Also, I don't think all men would go join the men's only taxi service; most would realize that it would be idiotic to limit their customer base to the 50% of people who are more likely to be violent towards them.

Men are not discriminated against because of their sex, and I think allowing them to found a men-only thing and let them see that absolutely nothing has changed for the better, might help them realize this. (Of course, they do not really want a men-only thing, they want to have access to women to rape, but they won't dare say that aloud. So, give them permission to do something for men only, and see what happens.)

I have no problem with this idea, and I would support it being implemented across the country. For women to feel safe in a vulnerable environment trumps and complaints from men about sexism (and I suspect they are only trolling anyway).

But why is this different from the suggestion by Jeremy Corbyn a while back about women-only train carriages? I thought that that was a good idea too, but it appeared to be unpopular on this board. Where is the difference?

The difference is a taxi is often just 1 passenger with the driver. Trains have guards, CCTV , other people around. I'm not keen at all on women only carriages.

I don't use one but perhaps safety could be increased by booking a taxi through a phone app. The one which covers my city allows you to register your details with the phone company, including payment method. When you book you get the driver's registration number and you can ask them to send a text to a "buddy" when you are collected and/or dropped off. The company will then have a record of who exactly collected you, where and when. The app also stores your bookings history on your phone, if you lose your phone the history would still be accessible if installed on another phone.

Also, women only train carriages opens up a whole new possibility of victim blaming. You are groped/harassed/attacked on a train. Well, why weren't you travelling in the women only carriage? Same as the argument about short skirts/being drunk/walking across a deserted park etc.

My parents were cabbies' this isn't a new idea. My dad tried it with his company and it went so well other companies in the area followed suit. My dads firm saw an immediate increase in fares (especially on a Friday and Saturday night) and it had the knock on effect that his female drivers were safer. My mum used to drive on those nights before and after the policy and she said that incidences of aggression and violence at her went down and all his female drivers said they also felt safer as well as the female customers. It also had an unexpected effect: As soon as word got out about requesting female drivers, more parents requested female drivers for doing the school run or picking children/teenagers up. I guess parents felt that their kids were safer?

I think it is a great policy. I think men complaining about it are being churlish. It may work in some areas but not in others...you are taking a commercial risk but surely that is business right? A company has seen a gap in the market and are going for it.

"Men know that they are a danger to women. The men who oppose the women only taxis want to continue being a danger to women.There is, from my point of view, no need to repeat this point as the reason why there need to be women-only things but not men-only things. Men already know that. "

There are many reasons why women-only train carriages would br problematic, but one comparison against mini-cabs is that cabs are private businesses, but the rail service is a public one that we all essentially pay for (although currently leased/franchised etc. to the private sector).

How does the fact that some men rape & assault etc. justify excluding all men from part of a public service? Would men get reduced rail fares for reduced access (as if...)? Would there also be a men-only carriage? Obviously, the idea hasn't developed as such yet so who knows.

Wouldn't women only taxis also open up the possibility of victim blaming?If a woman took a taxi with a male driver, then was attacked - well what on earth was she doing not taking the women only one?It seems very similar.

I read an article a while ago about the rise in stranger rapes in New York here.

9 - 10% of them were attacks by cab drivers which is huge when you consider the proportion of the male population who actually are cab drivers. In the face of those sorts of statistics (and the seeming inaction on the part of police services to tackle it; in the article the Police Commissioner was telling women to travel in pairs ), it seems reasonable to have female-only cabs.

So a male only taxi service would be fine? And if the male only taxi service refused to transport a female and that female subsequently got raped/attacked then the male only taxi service would not be castigated? At all?

In the unlikely event of a men only taxi service existing why would I attempt to book a taxi with them?

A female only or a men only service could only be economically viable in large population centres where there will be other taxi operators. The scenario a male only firm being the only service available is implausible.

*Wouldn't women only taxis also open up the possibility of victim blaming?If a woman took a taxi with a male driver, then was attacked - well what on earth was she doing not taking the women only one?It seems very similar.*

No, because the taxi driver is only one person. I think it is much easier for victim blamers to say "She should have known that men rape", than "She should have known that this man was a rapist."

Of course, victim blamers will blame, but I think there's less risk of that if they would have to directly blame a woman for paying for a service done by a male person.

Like, plumbers would go next. There's already a company that offers female plumbers.

It just isn't in the interest of male service providers that women be victim blamed for trusting them.